Written questions by Norris.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of factory farming on ammonia pollution.

Defra does not have an assessment of “factory farms”. However, a breakdown of UK ammonia emissions by livestock sector can be found in Table 1 of this published document; 2509190841_UK_Agriculture_Ammonia_Emission_Report_1990-2023_26062025_Final.pdf.

What steps he is taking to help reduce waiting times at the RUH (Bath) A&E department.

The Government recognises the pressures facing emergency departments, including at the Royal United Hospital Bath, and is taking sustained action to reduce accident and emergency waiting times and improve patient flow across urgent and emergency care. Through the NHS Medium‑Term Planning Framework and the Model Emergency Department, NHS England has set out a clear trajectory for improving performance, with a focus on reducing long waits, improving safety, and delivering better patient experience.At the Royal United Hospital Bath, NHS England is working with the trust and the wider local system to support delivery of these improvements. This includes action to improve patient flow, increase the use of Same Day Emergency Care to avoid unnecessary admissions, strengthen discharge and community capacity, and deliver capital investment to improve emergency department flow. The trust is also receiving support from national improvement programmes, including Getting It Right First Time, alongside action to strengthen overnight staffing and real‑time performance oversight.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help increase accountability in the water sector in the West of England.

For too long, water companies paid out billions in dividends while pumping sewage into our rivers. This Government is ending that. The Water White Paper creates a single regulator, prevention-focused enforcement, and tougher laws: banning bonuses for failure and ensuring water works for customers, not just shareholders. To truly turn around the water sector we need the right people in to do the job. We want the sector to be attractive to high quality senior leaders, acting in the public interest, who can lead change from the top. To achieve this, the Government committed in the White Paper to consider taking forward a new regime for senior accountability. This would be carefully designed to ensure senior leaders are directly accountable for the service customers receive, whilst still allowing water companies to appoint capable leadership

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle waste crime in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

The Government published its new Waste Crime Action Plan on 20 March which is the toughest ever crackdown on illegal waste. We will tighten regulation to close the loopholes criminals exploit, enable tougher enforcement to disrupt and punish them, and direct action to clean up the damage they leave behind. The Government is committed to tackling waste crime in North East Somerset and Hanham. We are strengthening the Environment Agency’s enforcement powers and funding, and supporting joint working with Bath and North East Somerset Council and the local police services. Across the constituency, the Environment Agency is using intelligence led inspections and investigations to identify illegal waste activity, take enforcement action, and disrupt organised waste crime, protecting local communities and the environment, and ensuring waste is managed responsibly locally.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to protect supported housing in NE Somerset and Hanham constituency.

The government is committed to improving the quality of supported housing across England. We are implementing measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, which will strengthen local oversight, improve quality of support and require councils to produce Local Supported Housing Strategies to understand local supply, demand and unmet need. We recognise the significant challenges faced by the supported housing and homelessness sector. As announced at Autumn Budget 2025, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury is leading work across government to improve the value for money of homelessness services, including delivery models to increase the supply of good‑quality, good‑value supported housing.

What estimate he has made of the number of renewable energy projects awaiting grid connection in NE Somerset and Hanham; and what steps he is taking to reduce connection delays.

Information on projects holding connection agreements is available at TEC Register | National Energy System Operator for transmission projects and National Grid - Embedded capacity register for distribution projects in the South-West. However, data is categorised by grid connection point, not geographic location of projects. At transmission level, Government is working with National Energy System Operator, network companies and Ofgem to prioritise connections for viable projects that meet our strategic needs. In addition, in its end-to-end review, Ofgem is proposing measures to hold network companies more to account on timely delivery of connections, to both the transmission and distribution networks.

Whether she collects data on local highways authority spending on highways maintenance additional to funding provided by central government.

Local authorities are responsible for setting their own highways maintenance budgets, drawing on a combination of Department for Transport capital funding and their wider local resources. To support greater transparency, the Department introduced a requirement last year for all local highway authorities to publish annual highways maintenance transparency reports. These set out how each authority plans to spend its Department for Transport highways maintenance allocation, alongside its total planned highways maintenance expenditure from all funding sources. This provides clearer visibility of the extent to which authorities invest above their DfT allocation. In addition, the Department introduced a new traffic light rating system for all local highway authorities in England on 11 January. All authorities are assessed annually and receive a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. As part of the spend scorecard within this rating system, authorities that reported plans to spend 100% of their Departmental allocation received an amber rating. The vast majority of authorities reported plans to invest at least 30% of additional capital from other funding sources to maintain their highway networks, and 113 authorities therefore received a green spend scorecard.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support new bathing sites in the West of England.

To designate a site as a bathing water, an application must be submitted to Defra. Applications for new bathing sites are driven by the public and put forward for consultation if certain criteria are met, which can be found online at gov.uk. We are currently consulting on proposals to designate 13 new bathing waters in England ahead of the 2026 bathing season. No applications were received from the West of England this year.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that councils do not use the Crisis and Resilience Fund to replace LWA schemes.

My Department has worked closely with local authorities and other stakeholders on the detailed design of the Fund. We published scheme guidance in January to enable local authorities to prepare for delivery. The guidance makes clear that the Crisis and Resilience Fund is classified as local welfare provision and is intended to support and strengthen local crisis support and wider local welfare systems, rather than replace existing Local Welfare Assistance schemes.

What steps he is taking to ensure people who rely on oil to heat their homes will be able to access a secure affordable supply in the context of the security situation in the Middle East.

The Government is closely monitoring heating oil supply and price in light of instability in the Middle East. We recognise that wholesale oil price volatility is placing pressure on domestic heating oil costs, and we are engaging with industry to ensure supply and pricing remains resilient. The supply of heating oil is subject to competition and consumer protection laws overseen by the Competition and Markets Authority, who monitor for any irregularities. The Warm Homes Discount Scheme continues to be available for low income off-grid households reliant on heating oil, while we work to support a transition away from fossil fuels to strengthen long-term resilience.

How many people used the Tell Us Once Service in 2025 in (a) North East Somerset and Hanham constituency, (b) the West of England and (c) England.

The following data has been taken from the Tell Us Once (TUO) Change Reporting System: a) The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. b) 169,063 citizens used the service in the West of England. We have utilised Office for National Statistics (ONS) coverage to ascertain which areas are regarded as the West of England (See Appendix A). The calculations include all councils, which ONS states are within North West England, Southwest England and the West Midlands.)c) 445,884 citizens used the service in England. Due to the TUO weekly reporting period, there is a variance of several days in yearly total. The calculation is from 30/12/2024 – 28/12/2025. Appendix A - (Local Authority District (April 2023) to LAU1 to ITL3 to ITL2 to ITL1 (January 2021) Lookup in the UK - data.gov.uk

What his planned timeline is for reporting on the Call for Evidence into business support for co-operatives and non-financial mutuals.

The Call for Evidence (CfE) was open across Great Britain for 12 weeks and closed on 18th February. DBT’s focus is now on analysing responses and these will inform any potential business support policy for the co-operative and mutual businesses.

What steps her Department is taking to support the growth of co-operatives in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

The government recognises the contribution co-operatives make to local communities, to a diverse business sector and a resilient UK economy. In line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the co-operatives and mutuals sector, HM Treasury is taking steps to support the growth nationwide, including in North East Somerset and Hanham. This includes funding the Law Commission’s independent review of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, which is exploring options to modernise and update the legislative framework. The review is expected to report in 2026 and the government will carefully consider its findings before responding. At Mansion House 2024 the Chancellor set out a package of measures to support the growth of the co-operative and mutuals sector. This included welcoming the establishment of the industry-led Mutuals and Co-operative Business Council and asking the PRA and FCA to produce a report on the mutuals landscape. These reports were published in December 2025, and covered co-operatives through the FCA’s role as registering authority. HM Treasury works with other Government departments on support for co-operatives. This includes on the Department for Business and Trade’s call for evidence on business support for co-operatives, which was launched at Budget 2025 and closed in February 2026. In addition, the Ministry for Housing, Communities, and Local Government has announced the launch of a co-operative development unit as part of its Pride in Place Strategy. Together, these actions will help support the growth of the co-operative sector in across the UK.

What discussions he has had with international counterparts on Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence legislation as part of the Responsible Business Conduct Review.

As part of the Responsible Business Conduct Review, the Government has engaged a number of international trading partners, including countries that have implemented human rights and environmental due diligence legislation. We shall update the House when the Review is complete.

What recent discussions she has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the potential impact of the distribution of ATMs which charge customers to withdraw money on people in (a) North East Somerset and Hanham and (b) England.

The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses.Under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has responsibility and powers to protect access to cash, including free facilities for personal current account holders. The FCA’s most recent data shows that 99.2% of the urban population live within 1 miles of a free to use cash access point offering withdrawals. In rural areas, 98.5% of people live within 3 miles of a free to use cash access point offering withdrawals. LINK, the UK’s not‑for‑profit, independently governed ATM operator, publish data on the number of ATMs across each parliamentary constituency. This includes a breakdown of the number of pay-to-use ATMs operated by the LINK network. LINK data estimates that in 2025, there were 42,403 ATMs in the UK, including 8,693 pay-to-use ATMs. In the constituency of North-East Somerset and Hanham, LINK data identifies that there are 4 pay-to-use ATMs out of 28 ATMs overall. This data can be found at https://www.link.co.uk/data-research/the-atm-network Customers can also access everyday cash and banking services at Post Office branches. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers of participating banks are able to withdraw and deposit cash, for personal customers this service is free. Customers are also able to check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at over 10,000 Post Office branches across the UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department holds on survival rates for new trees planted in the Western forest.

The Western Forest was launched on 21 March 2025 and is in its first tree-planting season. This runs between October and April. Monitoring will commence after this period. Consistent with Defra’s tree planting grants it will provide annual payments for up to 15 years after planting to support essential maintenance and tree survival. As part of the Trees programme, we will be commissioning research to improve our understanding of the success of survival rates, and the factors influencing successful woodland establishment for newly planted trees.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of data collected on intestacy for the purposes of understanding regional differences in access to will-making and estate planning.

Will-making and estate planning services are largely offered by private providers and, in some instances, charities may offer similar free services.The Government is not aware of any concerns regarding the availability of will-making and estate planning services. There are no plans to review the provision of these services.The latest published government statistics on probate applications can be found here: Family Court Statistics Quarterly: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK.

What assessment has the department made of the potential impact of the government’s Warm Homes Plan on levels of fuel poverty in North East Somerset and Hanham.

DESNZ’s annual sub-regional fuel poverty statistics estimate the rates of fuel poverty in constituencies within England, and will therefore reflect the impacts of the Warm Homes Plan in time.The Department will publish monitoring statistics and evaluation of policies announced in the Warm Homes Plan. DESNZ currently publishes statistics covering the uptake and impacts of energy efficiency measures here.

With reference to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster's speech entitled Move fast. Fix things., published on 20 January 2026, what discussions he has had with regional mayors on lessons learned from Project Reset.

The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister’s (CSPM) speech set out how “Project Reset” would slash bureaucracy and enable civil servants to move fast. It will mean fewer repeated permissions required, giving those closer to real decision-making more freedom and autonomy to deliver change. CSPM has met with Mayors including the Mayor of the North East, the Mayor of the East Midlands, and the Mayor of London. These discussions included barriers to delivery.

Media and Sport, if the department will make an assessment of the potential effect of turning off Freeview on areas with poor broadband connectivity.

Digital inclusion and ensuring that all households across the country have access to high-quality, reliable broadband is a priority for the Government. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to ensure that all aspects of digital inclusion are considered as part of any decisions we make on the future of digital terrestrial television.